24 Feb How to Pack Art for Your Kamloops Storage Unit
If you’re moving or want to store art in your Kamloops storage unit, the following packing tips will make sure your artwork is safe from bumps, slips and surrounding items that could damage the art, its glass or frame.
Packing Materials
To safely pack art for moving or for your storage unit, you’ll need the following materials:
- Picture packing boxes or flat cardboard
- Packing tape
- Bubble wrap
- Packing paper
- Corner guards (store bought or homemade)
- Acid-free paper or matboard or sleeves for flat, paper-born art
Fact: Art is affected by heat, cold and high humidity. Valleyview Mini Storage has high-end temperature and humidity controls that keep artwork safe from heat, cold or moisture damage year-round.
Packing Art for Your Storage Unit: Step by Step
- For each piece of art, use a packing box or two pieces of flat cardboard several inches larger than the artwork being packed.
- Place corner guards (sleeves of cardboard that slip onto each corner of picture or painting frames) and tape them in place. You can use spare pieces of cardboard to make your own guards.
- For framed art and photos with glass, place a piece of cardboard on the front and tape it in place. The cardboard should be the same size as the frame – not the size of the painting or picture. If the art is set back from the frame (the frame projects forward), sandwich some bubble wrap or crumpled packing paper in the void between the cardboard and glass.
Tip: Never place cardboard directly against artwork. The acids in cardboard will cause damage over time. For unframed drawings, photos, and prints, place the art in acid-free sleeves, between sheets of acid free paper, or, sandwich it between acid-free matboard (or mounting board). Store drawings, photos and prints flat to prevent damaging the edges of the paper. - Wrap the artwork in bubble wrap and tape the bubble wrap securely in place. Don’t tape the bubble wrap so that it’s airtight, though. A little breathing room will prevent condensation from forming within (an unlikely event however, since our Kamloops storage units are climate-controlled).
- Place the bubble-wrapped artwork in its own picture box and fill voids with packing paper so the art doesn’t move within the box. Seal the box with plenty of tape and mark it “fragile” in large lettering (and “this side up” if relevant).
- If you prefer to use two pieces of flat cardboard rather than picture packing boxes, cut them so they are a few inches larger than the artwork. Center the bubble-wrapped artwork on one piece of cardboard. Place the other piece of cardboard on top of the artwork and form the edges so they meet and tape them together. Before taping all the edges of the cardboard “sandwich”, you could fill the voids with packing paper, although the steps above typically enough to prevent the art from sliding in the box.
- Store framed artwork vertically. Don’t stack the artwork, as it’s more likely to become damaged.
Rent a Kamloops Storage Unit that Keeps Artwork Safe!
Our Kamloops storage units help keep artwork safe! In addition to climate controls, we protect your storage items with the latest in security and video surveillance. We have many different sizes of storage units that will accommodate small to large art collections. Boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap and other packing materials, are available for sale on site. If you have questions about storing art, contact us! We’re always happy to help.